Tag: Jim Bridenstine

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Space agencies focus on their Gateway roles

Jim Bridenstine at IAC
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine is surrounded by top officials from other space agencies as he talks about what lies ahead for NASA and its partners on the final frontier. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Not everyone has signed on the dotted line to join NASA’s plan to start sending astronauts to the moon in 2024 via an outpost in lunar orbit known as the Gateway, but the world’s leading space agencies are already staking out their roles.

Russia, for example, plans to work on its own space transportation system that would parallel NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew capsule. Europe and Japan are planning to provide logistical support for space operations. And Canada will be supplying the Gateway’s robotic arm.

Space agency officials laid out the status of their plans for the final frontier today during a panel discussion and follow-up news briefing at the International Astronautical Congress in Washington.

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NASA’s chief talks about space station handover

Starliner and space station
An artist’s conception shows a Boeing Starliner space taxi approaching the International Space Station. (Boeing Illustration)

For months, the White House has been talking about transitioning the International Space Station to commercial control by 2025, and now NASA’s administrator says he’s working on it.

In a Washington Post interview, Administrator Jim Bridenstine says “there are people out there that can do commercial management” of the station.

“I’ve talked to many large corporations that are interested in getting involved in that through a consortium, if you will.” he told the Post.

Bridenstine declined to name the corporations, and the usual suspects — including Boeing, the prime commercial contractor for the station — are mum on the matter.

Even the companies that have voiced interest in managing orbital outposts, such as NanoRacks and Axiom Space, say they’d prefer to have their own base of operations rather than taking over the U.S. segment of the international station. NanoRacks, for instance, has proposed creating outposts using converted rocket upper stages.

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NASA adds a drone to its 2020 Mars rover

Mars Helicopter
An artist’s conception shows the Mars Helicopter. (NASA / JPL-Caltech Illustration)

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has given the thumbs-up to putting a helicopter on Mars.

The Mars Helicopter, which is actually more of an autonomous drone, will be packed into the belly pan of a Red Planet rover that’s due for launch in 2020.

For months, mission planners and scientists have been debating whether it’d be worth flying the 4-pound rotorcraft for a 30-day test campaign.

Adding the drone to the rover potentially takes away from the space and time that can be devoted to other scientific experiments. But in today’s announcement, Bridenstine said the helicopter would build on NASA’s “proud history of firsts.”

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NASA’s newly sworn-in chief touts bipartisanship

Pence and Bridenstine
Vice President Mike Pence stands behind NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine after his swearing-in ceremony. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle)

WASHINGTON — Just hours after his resignation from the House took effect, Jim Bridenstine was sworn in today as NASA’s 13th administrator and signaled that he’d try to mend the partisan divisions that marked his nomination.

Vice President Mike Pence, chairman of the National Space Council, officiated for the swearing-in ceremony here at NASA Headquarters.

The three NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station played supporting roles during a live space-to-ground video hookup that was only slightly delayed by a glitch in the connection. (“Did we pay the bill?” Pence joked during the wait.)

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Senate confirms Jim Bridenstine as NASA chief

Jim Bridenstine
U.S. Rep. Jim Bridenstine, R-Okla., testifies at his Senate nomination hearing last November. (NASA Photo / Joel Kowsky)

The Senate confirmed U.S. Rep. Jim Bridenstine, R-Okla., as NASA’s administrator today in a nail-biting vote along party lines.

In a statement, Bridenstine said he was honored to be confirmed.

“I am humbled by this opportunity, and I once again thank President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for their confidence,” he said. “I look forward to working with the outstanding team at NASA to achieve the president’s vision for American leadership in space.”

Bridenstine, 42, has represented his Tulsa-area district since 2013. During his time in Congress, he’s been a strong supporter of space commercialization. He’s the principal sponsor of the American Space Renaissance Act, which aims to beef up the military and commercial side of the space program.

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Bill Nye’s State of the Union date creates a stir

Bill Nye
Planetary Society Bill Nye flashes a Vulcan greeting during a 2014 visit to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Planetary Society Photo)

Bill Nye the Science Guy is going to the State of the Union Address, but as a guest of President Donald Trump’s choice for NASA administrator. And therein lies the rub.

The NASA nominee is U.S. Rep. Jim Bridenstine, R-Okla., who became notorious as a climate policy opponent during the Obama administration. In 2013, for instance, Bridenstine called on President Barack Obama to apologize for spending so much money on climate research.

Bridenstine backtracked a bit last year during Senate hearings on his NASA nomination. He said he didn’t know whether climate change was being driven primarily by human activities, “but I do know that humans have absolutely contributed to global warming.”

Such statements may have helped smooth relations with Nye, who has spoken up long and loudly for climate science and measures to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. He explained why he accepted Bridenstine’s invitation to Capitol Hill on Monday in a Facebook posting.

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